DM Monitoring
Ankara: Over the last week, there has been a serious change in the U.S. administration as Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s victory became more certain and key government figures were replaced, including Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and the special envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey. The changes signal a fresh start for the administration but also raise questions about the country’s diplomacy, particularly its policies in Syria, where the U.S.’ insistence to support terrorists ultimately led it to part with its NATO ally, Turkey.
However, according to experts a change in government will not harm the bilateral ties between the countries regardless, as has been proven in the past.
Turkey would be on the front line if the country were not strong in the field and at the negotiating table in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Monday, speaking at the 12th Ambassadors’ Conference held in the capital Ankara.
Changes in the U.S.’ foreign policy, especially in Syria are expected after U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced on Twitter that he had fired Esper. “Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service,” Trump said, announcing his replacement Christopher Miller, the current head of the National Counterterrorism Center.
On the same day U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Jeffrey would be stepping down from his posts as U.S. special representative for Syria and as special envoy for the global coalition to defeat Daesh.
“Until Joe Biden is inaugurated as president on Jan. 20, those changes could have an effect. It really depends on what the Trump administration plans on doing in terms of foreign policy, foreign actions while there is this transition time,” Obaida Hitto, TRT World’s Syria correspondent, said. However, Hitto also reiterated that since Trump has contested the results of the elections and is getting ready for a legal battle, it is still not clear what the exact outcome of the U.S. polls will be.
It is significant that the Trump administration has taken these steps at this particular time during the transition period. The Trump administration may be planning drastic measures in the region in the short-term.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will likely be unable to influence U.S. policy with a simple phone call to Biden once he takes office, as he had occasionally done with incumbent President Donald Trump.
The U.S. president-elect is not looking to push Turkey away but rather to reengage the geographically strategic, militarily powerful NATO ally on tougher terms.
Multiple issues are straining bilateral ties between the NATO allies, with Syria maintaining its position as the most complex due to contrasting interests.
As the Biden administration settles into office, the Syrian civil war will mark a decade in March 2021. With no end in sight to the ongoing conflict, the country is still divided between regime-controlled areas, the northwest occupied by the resisting opposition forces and the northeast dominated by terrorist groups.
Speaking to Daily Sabah, Hüseyin Alptekin, a researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), stated that the most important issue in Turkey-U.S. relations is whether Biden will insist on the YPG corridor in Syria that was initiated during the Obama administration when Biden was vice president. He pointed out that such a move would be met with resistance from Turkey and could eventually cause a break in ties.
“However, if there is no insistence on the PYD, there is no reason why the Middle East policies of Turkey and Biden should not correspond with one another,” he added.
